FLAGCOUNTER

Month: September 2010

Corrupt government officials, polluted waters, police forces accepting bribes from criminals, and children smoking cigarettes and sniffing drugs. Now tell me, how can a 15-year-old teenager like me be able to make peace come alive in my world? It’s very simple. I divide my peace into four pieces. Each piece is given to each essential being in our span of existence.

The first piece of peace I give to is for the young – the innocent children who are most influenced by the environment for they are on the verge of building up their personality. It is hard to undo the mistakes of the past. Thus, we focus more on the future. I, as a Catechist, enjoy teaching children stories of God and His awesome wonders and at the same time teaching them good morals. I try as much as possible to rid of them the negative things they have acquired whether vocal or actual. I firmly believe that we should educate the young whilst they’re still innocent for they will bring the principles we taught until they grow up and mature. We should influence the young as much as possible. He who influences the thoughts of his times, influences all the times that follow.

The second piece, I give to the adults – the parents, professionals, workers, teachers and the like. I have to establish peace with them. Why? First of all, I commend some of them for being good role models and teaching me and the other kids the right values and proper conduct. For some adults who have been exhibiting all the wrong things in life publicly, I thank you for showing me what not to be when I grow up. However, not all children or teenagers are like me. Some may view your actions as something worth emulating. This is not actually a word of condemnation for adults, but a thought worth reflecting: Adults should be role models. You are the ones who are responsible for the formation of characters of each young individual. May you form their characters as something worth exemplifying. We don’t want to end up with the same problems in the years to come.

The third piece that I give to is for the people of my generation – the teenagers who are going to be adults in a couple of years time. I, as a concerned teenager who is also a part of this generation, am also concerned of the outcome when we take our part in the soon-to-be vacated offices which we will take over. Accompanied with the large responsibilities that we will inherit, it is important that we are at peace so we would be able to work in unison. With unity, we are able to achieve many things harmoniously and successfully and that we could withstand each single problem that would come in our lives with utmost pride and concern.

The fourth and final piece I give to is for myself. Well, you might be thinking that this is pure selfishness, but actually it’s not. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. It is important for me to have a piece for the reason that it actually helps me avoid near temptations of sin. Peace in myself gives me the thought that all these happenings are a part of God’s plan not only for me, but also for others as well. A great example would be that instead of being envious of others’ success, I become proud for that particular person. It gives me the idea that I’m not the only child of God, but He too has other children that perhaps, are more deserving of their success. It also gives me at least a tiny speck of hope amidst trials and problematic circumstances – to continue fighting and persevering for my goals.

By giving these four pieces of peace, I am able to complete the greatest puzzle of life. By influencing one person at a time from the different sectors, my influence reaches to other people as well from whom I have influenced; thus, causing a chain reaction. In that way, I am able to achieve peace in my world. With hard work and prayer, I, together with God and everybody else, will be able to have a peaceful world that would last for all eternity.

Debuting on Number 1 at the US and UK Charts, the sophomore album of pop singer Katy Perry offers a quirky yet mature vibe from her. Definitely the album of summer, Katy delivers it effortlessly with chart-topping songs. Despite negative reviews from music critics around, there’s one thing they all agreed on – compared to One of the Boys, this album is definitely better.